COMMERCE– The No. 25 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team defeated Texas Woman's in five sets on Friday night. The set scores were 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 30-28, and 15-13.
 
The win brings the Lions to 15-4 on the season and 8-1 in the Lone Star Conference. A&M-Commerce is also 5-0 in divisional play. The Pioneers fall to 9-10 on the year and 5-4 in the LSC.
 
The Lions return to action on Saturday as they host Midwestern State. The match will be played at 4 p.m. at the Field House.
 
Tickets to Lion Volleyball home matches can be purchased by visiting WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office inside the Field House during business hours.
 
HEAD COACH CRAIG CASE AFTER THE MATCH
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Bina Njikam (Keller) led the team with 16 kills, while also recording three blocks.
- Shelley Chapron (Houston – St. Pius X) added 13 kills, hitting .520 in the match. She had four kills in the final set.
- Keziah Williams (Branson, Mo.) played in the final two sets, recording 10 kills while Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) had nine kills.
- Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) led the team with 37 kills and had a double-double with 18 digs. Natalie Sarbeck (Cypress – Cy-Fair) had 14 assists.
- Savannah Rutledge (The Woodlands – College Park) had a team-high 23 digs and also led the team with four aces.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 After TWU took the first two points of the match, A&M-Commerce took five of the next six points to take the lead. A 3-0 run for the Lions gave them an 11-7 lead midway through the set. A pair of Rutledge aces pushed the Lion lead even further, to 16-10. The Lions pushed their lead to as many as nine points in the set, winning 25-19.
 
The second set was back and forth for much of the way, as the teams traded leads often. Neither team led by more than two points until TWU made a late rally. With the Lions leading 18-16, the Pioneers took seven points in a row to take control of the set, winning 25-20.
 
TWU got off to a hot start in the third set, taking a 12-6 lead. The Lions battled back to tie the set at 15. While the Lions battled, they ultimately came up short, falling 25-23 in the set.
 
The fourth set was wire to wire, with the Lions fighting off three separate match points late as the set went into extra points. The teams went on mini runs to start, before the set seemed to stay tied the rest of the way. The Lions led 23-20 late before the Pioneers took three points in a row to tie the set. The Lions forced two set points, which were fought off. TWU then had the advantage, as A&M-Commerce faced match point on three different occasions. Feeding off of the home crowd's energy, the Lions found a way, as Rutledge aced the final point to give A&M-Commerce a 30-28 set win.
 
The fifth set was again evenly matched, with the teams tied at seven all at the midway mark. Chapron had multiple kills in the set early. TWU then pushed their lead to 11-8 before the Lions responded.  Williams had a pair of kills as the Lions scored four points in a row to take the lead. The Lions took seven of the final nine points to win the set 15-13.